Clash: The 13 Immortals
by Mask Rider Roy
Summary: AU. Slight retelling of the series. Touta Konoe is a young boy who lost his parents at the age of 12, and lives with Yukihime. 2 years later an assassin attempted to kill Yukihime and in the process Touta became an immortal. However Touta soon gets embroiled in a situation 12 other immortals fight each other to the death until only one is left. Touta decided to stop the fight
1. A Normal Life Shattered

**The 13 Immortals**

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_**Disclaimer:**_  
_**UQ Holder!**_ is owned by _**Ken Akamatsu **_and_** J. C. Staff**_

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Hello and welcome to my another experimental fanfic of UQ Holder, in which an inspiration popped into my head in an unexpected way. I sort heard of this anime a few years back but ignored it as I was focused on other anime, and I may have ignored further until the anime, **UQ Holder!** was aired on Animax-Asia (in Japanese audio with English subtitles) last February 7, and there I get to watch it for the first time.

There I find myself intrigued as I watched the first few episodes, where I was quite surprised to find out that this series served as a spin-off/sequel to Ken Akamatsu's previous series, **Negima! Magister Negi Magi**, due to **Negi Springfield** making a cameo appearance at the beginning of UQ Holder episode 1, and this quite piqued my interest and decided to watch it to see where the story goes.

After downloading the episodes, I find myself intrigued and decided to come up with an experimental story that focuses on the main character…which he is portrayed as energetic and optimistic, but also to show that despite the traits and being immortal, he would at times have a vulnerable side.

And after over a week I watched all the episodes of the anime, but felt that it was not enough, and through research I found a site where the manga of UQ Holder is posted, and upon reading it, I realized that most of the manga chapters have not been adapted on the anime, leaving a few (or rather many) of the important arcs out.

However, this inspired me to try out an experiment and make a story that is a stark contrast to the setting of UQ Holder, in which I'll be making a retelling of sorts on how Touta Konoe gained immortality through a different means.

Another basis in making this fic is based on an 80's and 90's franchise that also involves immortals, wherein each are intending to kill one another until only one is left…that inspiration came from **Highlander The Series**, (aired from 1992-1998) as well it is also inspired from another series, Fate/Stay Night.

Another basis is a Japanese live-action show which aired in 2002-2003, in which that show has similar premise, which 13 individuals are fighting each other only one is left with the winner gaining a prize. These are enough reasons to get me started and decided to see if this would attract readers and find out if it is well-received or a failure…

Well then, read on and enjoy!

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_**C**__**h. 1: **_**_Funsai sa reta tsūjō no seikatsu_**

Japan.

The country that is located within South East Asia, quite near different Asian countries such as China, Taiwan and the Philippines, is seen and that country is ruled by the Diet, and are handled by the Emperor and the Prime Minister. After their defeat at World War II, the country began to change for the better, and for several decades Japan vastly improved, mostly in the technological department yet their culture and values remained the same, as most Japanese citizens remained hospitable to visitors, residents and tourists alike.

The scene then zoomed further and you can see that the scene shows that the place being shown is Tokyo, which is bustling with people who are walking the busy streets, some riding vehicles, and others riding on bicycles. There are several types of people seen on the streets; adults, children, and even infants being carried by their parents. Businessmen, businesswomen, students, policemen, all kinds of persons are seen, and they were doing their usual activities as if they do not mind it.

Shops are open and the merchants are selling their merchandise and are enticing people to buy them in hopes of earning money. It was a typical day and it seems that people today are lively and felt that their lives are full of blessings and couldn't ask for anything more, as some are happy with stable jobs, students studying in the best schools, and more, and some even chatted with one another feeling that today is a good day.

"Hey there..."

"Today's a good day..."

"Ah...life is so good..."

"Let's have lunch...?"

"Will you be my girlfriend...?"

"Let's get married..."

"Stop right there!"

"EEEP! COPS!"

-x-

The scene later shifts to a residential area somewhere in Tokyo, and there you can see that it is a subdivision where a group of houses are there, which appeared to be ordinary, as it is not posh or extravagant, simply a simple area where the residents there are living normally yet happily, and the subdivision is not quite big, yet it can be improved if the area is under construction where the land developers can put up a huge high-rise residential area such as condominiums and hotels that can cater the rich and financially powerful.

But for now, the said area is occupied by ordinary residents living there. The scene zoomed closer, where you can see a teenage boy, aged 12, where he is seen travelling with his parents as they are travelling via a car as they are on their way to a family affair (such as the boy and his parents going to Tokyo Tower for a tour), which the boy is looking forward to.

However, an unfortunate incident took place, as a van with a trailer went wayward in a haphazard speed and ended up crashing the car head-on, resulting in the car getting mangled in wrecked metal, which promptly killed the boy's parents, and the boy became critically wounded, to the point which his memory have been blocked which would last for about several months.

As ambulances and medics are getting the injured boy out of the wrecked car, everyone are wondering what caused the accident, as the investigators are facing a blank wall when they checked the wrecked van, which the front portion was wrecked, but find that the driver's seat empty, yet the keys to the ignition is still attached, as well as the fact that the doors are locked, thus there is no way that the driver could have escaped.

"What the heck…?"

"How…?"

"What kind of trick is this?"

"There's no way that the driver could've escape…"

"I'm betting that…"

"Enough! I don't want to hear about supernatural stuff!"

"But…"

"Shut it!"

Amid the scene, a blonde-haired woman is seen watching, and she somewhat had an idea on what just happened, and she boarded a taxi and ordered the driver to follow the ambulance that is taking the injured boy to a hospital.

-x-

In the days that followed, the boy miraculously recovered, which astonished the doctors and nurses, yet they did not questioned it as all that mattered is that the boy survived, and soon the blond-haired woman came and talked to the social welfare department, offering to adopt the boy after his parents died at the accident and that there are no relatives who came to adopt him, which the officials accepted seeing that the boy has nowhere else to go.

The boy is identified as Touta Konoe, aged 12, and he is somewhat depressed by the fact that he became an orphan and that no other relatives came to visit him. The woman, identified only as Yukihime, managed to get the paperwork done, and thus became Touta's OFFICIAL guardian, and she at first tried to cheer the boy up, but he doesn't appeared to be receptive towards her.

This is due to the depression he is experiencing, like losing his parents and some of his memories, but Yukihime appeared to be patient and endured the COLD SHOULDERS that Touta gave her, but as the months passed, Touta gradually warmed up to her and came to regard her as his surrogate guardian, and the two began living together at a rural village, which appeared to be very peaceful.

Several months have passed since then and Touta would go to the site of the accident, carrying a bouquet of flowers to mark the first death anniversary of his parents, and as he knelt down and offered a silent prayer, Yukihime quietly approached him and let him do his thing, watching him silently as she felt that she could relate to him over losing someone important to him.

By then Touta is finished and is rather surprised to see her here, and there Yukihime asked if he is okay now, which the orphaned boy nodded, assuring to her that he is fine now and no longer depressed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm okay now."

"I see. Still, if you…"

"Thanks, Yukihime. I appreciate it."

"Touta-kun…"

"I'm going to be okay now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

After that, Yukihime tells Touta that they would be going home now, and the two leaves the area to head back to the village that they are currently staying. As the two walked, Yukihime decided to pass by at a convenient store to buy something, and as she went inside, Touta waited outside, only to blink his eyes when a small house, located in front of the store, is seen with the door left open.

Driven by curiosity, Touta decided to go inside the house, where he noticed that the place appeared to be abandoned, as there are no traces of anyone living here though the belongings are still there, like clothes and gadgets, but the place does not appeared to be cleaned for a week or so, which made Touta wonder if the place has been abandoned or if the owner left and forgot to lock the door.

As he looked around, he found what appeared to be a palm-sized object, black-colored and it appeared to be a case that contained cards, which Touta curiously checked it, which the object appeared to be plain-looking, and when he checked the contents, he found that it has two cards, which resembled TAROT CARDS, and upon closer inspection, the boy blinked in bafflement upon seeing what the two cards contained, which are:

\- SEAL

\- CONTRACT

As Touta puts the one of the cards back he pondered on what to do next, when he vaguely heard something, which he felt that something is approaching, but he could not tell where it came from, until something MATERIALIZED right in front of him, and the boy stared wide-eyed at what he is seeing, which was a huge creature, colored red, and it resembled like a MECHANICAL Japanese dragon.

Touta was startled and fell on his rear, terrified and confused, and as the dragon-looking monster is poised to devour the boy, Touta unknowingly raised his hand that has the card, which is the SEAL card, and the card glowed which somewhat shook the dragon and backed away, yet the dragon is attempting on making another try.

The boy screamed at the monster to go away, but all it did is roar aloud.

"Stay back!"

"RROOAAARRR!"

"Go away!"

"RROOAAARRR!"

"I mean it!"

"RROOAAARRR!"

"No!"

"RROOAAARRR!"

However, Yukihime came in and grabbed Touta by his collar and pushed him out of the room, telling him to go outside and run as fast as he could, but Touta asked what was that thing, yet all she said is that he must get away from here as much as possible, and promised that she will catch up with him.

"Just run, Touta!"

"But…!"

"I'll be okay!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Just go!"

"Yukihime!"

"Trust me, Touta-kun!"

"Damn…"

Reluctantly, Touta did as told, and he ran off as fast as he could, but Yukihime, now that Touta is out of sight, can freely use her magic to ward off the dragon, which appeared difficult at first, as the dragon was persistent, yet Yukihime persisted and somewhat managed to scare it away, and the dragon dissipated into nothingness, though she can tell that the dragon would come back, and she became somewhat alarmed that something like this has been happening for quite some time, and she leaves the abandoned house to check on Touta to see if he is okay and to make sure that he is not being trailed by any magical creature.

Minutes later, Yukihime and Touta are walking together as they are heading back to the rural village that they are currently staying, and there the young boy asked her what was that thing, which she said that it appeared to be a KAPPA of sorts, and told him not to venture out of the village at this time, citing that something like this would happen, and Touta nodded.

He is tempted to ask her about the cards he found, yet he opted not to and instead asked why he shouldn't leave the village like other people do, which Yukihme can only give a vague reply, as for some reason she is doing this out of the younger boy's own protection.

"Can't say."

"Huh?"

"That's that."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you when the time is right."

"But…"

"That's that, and it's final."

"Geez…"

As the two walked away, they did not noticed that someone is watching them, and the scene shows that the watcher is a young man, who appeared to be in his late teens, about 19 years old. He is wearing black pants, a black shirt and a black trench coat. He appeared to be rather aloof yet having a serious demeanor, and for a reason he seemed to be glancing at either Touta or Yukihime.

As the minutes passed, both Yukihime and Touta are out of sight, and the young man is considering in following the two, but then he heard a scream from nearby, which he can hear it from a short distance as he boarded his motorcycle and head towards the source of the screaming, as the young man can tell that something is definitely up.

The scene shifts near an alley where you can hear a victim screaming as he is being assaulted, and he is screaming for help yet no one can hear him since it is already nightfall, and the only one who can hear him scream is what appeared to be an unseen creature, who is ready to devour him.

"NO!"

"RRR…"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"RRR…"

"SOMEONE HELP!"

"RRR…"

"AAAAIIIEEE!"

"RRR…"

The young man who is watching Yukihime and Touta earlier arrived, but is too late as the victim is screaming as the creature began consuming him, which slowly died down as the creature is finishing its meal, and as the young man entered the alley, he can be heard speaking to the unseen attacker, yet he said that it doesn't matter as he will put the unseen attacker out of his misery.

"Looks like I'm too late."

"RRR…"

"Well then…"

"RRR…"

"I'm going to put you out of your misery."

"RRR…"

"Get ready."

"RRR…"

The scene shows the silhouette and shadows at the alley, where the unseen attacker is poised to attack, and the young man is ready to fight, where the shadows of what appeared to be that of a huge bat appeared, and sounds of fighting began to commence.

_**To Be Continued... **_

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Hope you liked this chapter, as it served as an alternate retelling of UQ Holder, and while this chapter somewhat retains some of its origin, it diverges a bit, as Touta encountered a MAGICAL CREATURE of sorts, and managed to scare it away with what appeared to be a tarot card…and yet he is forbidden to leave the rural village…

A man appeared to be watching/observing either Touta or Yukihime, but he seemed to have his fair share of encounters with some magical creatures, just like he fought one a while ago, though off-screen. He will play a role in the upcoming chapters…

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_**Preview:**_

The next chapter starts the story where Touta gets into danger…as the magical creature is targeting him once again, whilst Yukihime is also in danger herself, until an unexpected situation plays a role that would change Touta's life…

See you in late April…

Reviews are welcomed, but needed…


	2. A Monster Near The Cemetery

**The 13 Immortals**

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_**Disclaimer:**_  
_**UQ Holder!**_ is owned by _**Ken Akamatsu **_and_** J. C. Staff**_

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_**Okay…in spite of the lockdown imposed on my country due to the corona virus, I managed to finish this chapter ahead of the DEADLINE that I set…this is supposed to be up by next month, but decided to upload it now (along with the other fanfics I managed to finish) in anticipation that I might have difficulties in uploading future chapters in case the lockdown in my country extends, so for now enjoy this finished, if rushed, chapter…**_

Many thanks to those who read and reviewed this fic. I really appreciated it and this gave me inspiration to work on the next chapter and here the story advances forward as Touta remains under Yukihime's care, and soon he is about to face more encounters with what seemed to be a mysterious creature marking him…

And encounter someone who would eventually become his RIVAL…

In response to a question from a reviewer, yes, the UQ Holder members will appear soon, probably in a few chapters from now…but until then, the focus will be on Yukihime and Touta for the time being…

Well then, read on and enjoy!

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_**Ch. 2: Bochi chikaku no kaibutsu**_

Several months have passed since that incident, life for Touta Konoe is anything but normal, as he is still adjusting to life after his last encounter with a mystical/magical creature that resembled a bio-mechanical, Japanese dragon, in which when at times when alone, Touta would be confronted by the dragon, as it is attempting to consume him.

Fortunately, Touta has since brought the SEAL card with him and figured that this card was what drove the dragon away during the first encounter, and the boy uses it to drive the dragon away, and since then he never leave his place without it, and though he is tempted to tell Yukihime about it, he opted not to as he doesn't want her to get involved.

However, his life isn't filled with running away from something he couldn't expect to deal with, as Yukihime began training Touta on how to defend himself, like teaching him with sword fighting and various martial arts, and though the younger boy learned quickly and gotten used to it, he is still a novice and oftentimes he attempted to challenge Yukihime to a duel as he wanted to visit the capital though she is against it, and said that if he managed to beat her then he can have permission.

"If you can beat me, then you can go."

"Really?"

"Yes. Really."

"Then let's fight!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay then…"

"Here I come!"

Touta uses all he has learned to challenge Yukihime, but for some reason she is a step ahead of him and soundly defeated the younger boy, and thus he is stuck in the rural village and had to endure the several months of living under her house rules.

After a few months passed, Touta turned 14, and he went to a cemetery to visit the grave of his parents, while his classmates can understand why he had to go there, which they understood that he needed to head there to pay his respects. Touta's classmates are wondering how life is after that incident two years ago, and felt that it would take some time for him to fully accept the fate.

The classmates, identified as:

\- Shiraishi

\- Nowa

\- Gian

The three classmates wondered if Touta is doing okay despite him showing his cheerful, optimistic self, knowing that losing both his parents would be a huge emotional blow to his life, yet they are sure that if Touta is feeling down, he would have told them about it.

"Man…"

"I sure feel bad for Touta."

"Me too."

"Losing his parents are one thing…"

"But losing the memories of what his parents look like…that's harsh."

"But Touta seems to be okay with it."

"He sure is carrying such a burden."

"At least he's moving forward."

"You think so?"

-x-

At the cemetery, Touta is visiting the grave of his parents, in which he does this at a certain date, and he would bring flowers to the grave of his parents, whose names are engraved on their tombstones, where the names are seen, identifying them as :

\- Haruka Konoe

\- Jintetsu Konoe

Touta smiled at his parents' graves and said that he is doing fine, even though he is unable to recall their faces, but remember the times he spent with them, and said that he is able to move on thanks to Yukihime, and said that right now he had to put up with the village chief's rule that he cannot leave the village as of yet, but promised that he would follow his dream.

After some more minutes Touta bid goodbye as he is heading back home, and he recalled the object that he found a few months ago, in which he took it out from his pocket, in which it resembled a card deck, which was black, plain and no design. He stared at it and wondered what kind of object this is, as it has two cards, which are the SEAL and CONTRACT, and he stared at it, as he felt that the cards he found are what saved him from that dragon, and wondered if he should tell Yukihime about this.

"Maybe I should tell Yukihime and ask if she knows anything about this…"

Still, his upbeat personality got the better of him and did a fist bump, proclaiming that one day he'll follow his dream, still holding the card deck, and to his surprise, a metallic object appeared in front of him and fastened around his waist, which formed a metallic belt, and Touta wondered what just happened, as he never seen anything like this.

As Touta is trying to figure out why this metallic belt appeared and fastened around his waist, he did not notice that the man from before is observing him, and he is approaching him, with the intent of asking him a few questions, though he is eyeing at the belt that Touta is wearing, as he appeared to have the gist of what is happening to the boy.

As Touta is figuring things out, as he could not seem to get the metallic belt off him, the young man, who appeared to be in his late teens, about 19 years old, is approaching the distracted Touta. He is wearing black pants, a black shirt and a black trench coat. He removed his shades as he approached Touta and he appeared to be serious-minded as he stood in front of the younger boy.

Touta looked up and saw the man standing before him, and wondered what the person wants. The man, identified as Ren Akihiro, is poised to ask him where he got the card deck, and wanted to know if Touta has any idea what he is getting himself into.

"Hey, kid."

"Yes?"

"Where did you get it?"

"The what?"

"That deck."

"Huh? You mean this?"

"Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into?"

"Huh?"

However, the interrogation is interrupted when another creature appeared, which resembled a huge, bio-mechanical spider, and there Ren is dismayed that his interrogation has been interrupted, but tells Touta to run if he doesn't want to die immediately, which baffled the younger boy.

Touta asked what Ren mean by that, but the older teen tells Touta to run now if he wants to live, saying that this is not the place where KIDS ENGAGE IN KIDDIE GAMES, which further irked the younger boy, telling him that he is 14 years old.

"Hey! I'm not a kid!"

"You are!"

"I just turned 14!"

"Then you're still a kid! Run now!"

"Why?"

"That thing will eat you!"

"For real?"

"You sure are daft!"

Ren ignored the younger boy as he took out something from his pocket, which Touta saw that it was a hand-sized, black-colored card deck that is similar to the one he is holding, and there Ren held the card deck and hold it in a straight position, where a metallic belt appeared and fastened around his waist, which Touta realized that what he saw just now is the same thing that happened to him.

Then Ren slinks the card deck onto the center portion of the belt, like slinking a card onto a deck, which the card deck is slotted onto the belt, forming a belt buckle, and there Ren chanted something while doing a transformation pose.

"Henshin!"

Then an armor formed around Ren's body, which has the motif of a European knight, and as Touta glanced at the now-armored Ren, he saw that the card deck has a symbol of a bat engraved onto it, and there the armored Ren, who goes by his designated name **Yami-Ki** (Dark Knight), is armed with a rapier and charged forward, and engages into battling the giant spider-like creature.

Touta watched the scene in front of him as he is taken aback at what he just saw and staring at the card deck that he is holding, he wondered what to do next, until he slowly finds himself drawn to the battle as he recalled the training he received from Yukihime and a teacher, Touta decided to join in, and doing what Ren did, he slots the card deck onto the belt, and soon he is encased in an armor, though it was pale black and simplistic.

The armored Touta watches on as Yami-Ki took out a card from the card deck and slots it into the rapier, revealing that the weapon also doubles as a card reader, and there the rapier spoke as it confirms the card's activation.

Rapier: "_**SWORD VENT…**_"

Suddenly, a creature appeared, which resembled a giant, mechanical bat, and as it flew, its body glowed and dropped something, which turns out to be a lance, and there Yami-Ki saw Touta already transformed and tells Touta not to get himself involved, or else he will be dragged in and has no chance of getting himself out of the predicament he is already in.

"Get out of here!"

"Eh?"

"This doesn't involve you!"

"But…"

"You're no match for that thing!"

"How so? I'm training myself…"

"This isn't a kiddie game! Get lost or you'll regret it!"

"What?"

Touta is baffled by this, yet he couldn't bring himself to ignore what he is seeing, and emulating what Yami-Ki just did, he took a card from the card deck, and looked at it, revealing that he gained an extra card, which says SWORD VENT, and he decided to try it out.

He glanced at his left arm, which appeared to be a gauntlet-like device that is mounted on his left forearm, and he instinctively slots the card in, where the device spoke and confirmed the card's activation, which surprised Touta.

Device: "_**SWORD VENT…**_"

A sword fell from the sky and landed on the ground, and Touta glanced at it, seeing that it looked like an ordinary katana, which he was expecting that he would get a cool-looking weapon, but decided that this would do and decided to take it, then charged towards the spider-like monster, intending to attack it with everything he has.

Yami-Ki told Touta not to get himself involved, but Touta said he is not the kind who would ignore things, and said that if that thing gets away it might attack the village he is staying at, and that is something he cannot allow to happen.

"Don't do it!"

"Eh?"

"This doesn't involve you!"

"I am! I can't let that thing go…!"

"You're no match for that thing!"

"Maybe…but if that thing arrived at the village I'm staying…many will be in danger…and that's something I can't let that happen!"

"This isn't a kiddie game! Get lost or you'll regret it!"

"Sue me!"

As Yami-Ki backed away, the armored Touta takes a swing, hitting the spider-like creature with the sword, but upon impact, the sword's blade shattered, and the spider uses its legs to kick Touta back, and he is seen rolling a few meters away, just as Yami-Ki sighed in annoyance, seeing that the younger boy can really be thick-headed at times.

The then took out another card and slotted it into the rapier to activate the card's next attack.

Rapier: "_**FINAL VENT…**_"

The bat creature then appeared and swoops down, just as Yami-Ki ran towards the spider, and as Touta shouts at Yami-Ki that he is about to be attacked, the armored younger boy stared in surprise as the bat creature latched itself onto Yami-Ki's back, its wings turn into a cape, and there the armored knight jumped upward, reaching a high distance, and then descends.

There the cape began wrapping itself around the armored knight, forming a drill and then Yami-Ki swoops down in great speed and crushes the spider, seemingly destroying it. As the smoke cleared, Yami-Ki stood there, as there are no traces of the spider left behind.

He then approaches Touta, asking him if he has a death wish, which made the younger boy taken aback, and asked what did the other person mean by that. Yami-Ki stared at Touta, seeing that the younger boy is really oblivious to what he is getting himself into and said that either he surrenders the card deck or he would be forced to get himself killed, which made Touta feel defensive and demanded to know what Yami-Ki's problem is.

"What the heck is your problem?"

"Give me the card deck."

"What for?"

"It doesn't suit you…or better yet…you're not meant to wield it."

"Why?"

"You're better off not knowing it. Unless…you've become…"

"You're no making sense here."

"…"

As the two armored person stared at each other, they did not notice that Yukihime is passing by, and she was alerted by the sound of explosion and upon arriving she saw the two armored person, and while intrigued, she noticed that the other person in armor has the same height as Touta, and noticed that the two persons are near the cemetery where Touta's parents are buried.

There Yukihime began to deduce that the person in armor, who is shorter than the other armored person is Touta, and she wondered what Touta is doing and where he got the armor.

"That must be Touta…but…where did he get that armor…? And who's the other guy…?"

Suddenly, the bio-mechanical-looking dragon appeared, and it seemed to be heading towards where the armored Touta and Ren are standing, and as Yami-Ki is poised to face it, he realized that the dragon is closing in, and thus he has no time to draw out the cards he has, and he tells Touta to start running if he doesn't want to get killed by the dragon.

Touta asked him if he knows anything about that dragon, and all Yami-Ki said that he has been hunting that dragon, and it is immensely strong, and that the dragon gets powered up by eating people, and said that Touta is among the dragon's meal target.

"What?"

"You heard me! That dragon wants you for lunch!"

"Seriously?"

"You want to die?"

"No way!"

"Then start running!"

"Geez!"

"Keep running for you'll become chow!"

"This isn't what I'm trained for!"

As Yami-Ki ran off, Touta followed, as the dragon swoops down and roared, where it began to spit out fireballs, hitting the ground, but the two armored persons managed to dodge them yet they are still in danger as the dragon keeps on chasing them.

Yukihime wondered where the dragon came from, but then she heard the two armored person bickering loudly, and upon hearing them, she stared in shock as she recognized Touta's voice, and there the dragon gets closer, and fired a strong fireball, hitting the ground, which is engulfed in flames, and the impact sends both the armored Ren and Touta getting thrown off the ground.

_**To Be Continued... **___

* * *

Hope you liked this chapter, as it served as an alternate retelling of UQ Holder, and while this chapter somewhat retains some of its origin, it diverges a bit, as Touta encountered a MAGICAL CREATURE of sorts, and managed to scare it away with what appeared to be a tarot card…and yet he is forbidden to leave the rural village…

This chapter also briefly recreated the scene where Touta visits the grave of his parents, and this is where things diverge a bit, as the man who appeared to be watching/observing either Touta or Yukihime in the last chapter resurfaces, where he gets to shine here…especially where he also possess a similar card deck just like the one Touta is holding.

The card decks that Touta and Ren are holding revealed the hidden functions, but for some reason Touta's cards appeared to be useless, and now the dragon appeared and is ready to consume its targets in a FIERY fashion.

Yukihime shows up, and now she is forced to watch seeing Touta in danger…

* * *

_**Preview:**_

The next chapter will reveal on what will happen, as to whether Touta survives the dragon's onslaught or not…

See you in six weeks (probably around late April)…

Reviews are welcomed, but needed…


	3. Birth Of An Immortal

**The 13 Immortals**

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_**Disclaimer:**_  
_**UQ Holder!**_ is owned by _**Ken Akamatsu **_and_** J. C. Staff**_

* * *

Many thanks to those who read and reviewed this fic. I really appreciated it and this gave me inspiration to work on the next chapter and here the story advances forward as Touta's life would change from hereon, which you'll find out why…

Well then, read on and enjoy!

* * *

As Yami-Ki backed away, the armored Touta takes a swing, hitting the spider-like creature with the sword, but upon impact, the sword's blade shattered, and the spider uses its legs to kick Touta back, and he is seen rolling a few meters away, just as Yami-Ki sighed in annoyance, seeing that the younger boy can really be thick-headed at times.

The then took out another card and slotted it into the rapier to activate the card's next attack.

Rapier: "_**FINAL VENT…**_"

The bat creature then appeared and swoops down, just as Yami-Ki ran towards the spider, and as Touta shouts at Yami-Ki that he is about to be attacked, the armored younger boy stared in surprise as the bat creature latched itself onto Yami-Ki's back, its wings turn into a cape, and there the armored knight jumped upward, reaching a high distance, and then descends.

There the cape began wrapping itself around the armored knight, forming a drill and then Yami-Ki swoops down in great speed and crushes the spider, seemingly destroying it. As the smoke cleared, Yami-Ki stood there, as there are no traces of the spider left behind.

He then approaches Touta, asking him if he has a death wish, which made the younger boy taken aback, and asked what did the other person mean by that. Yami-Ki stared at Touta, seeing that the younger boy is really oblivious to what he is getting himself into and said that either he surrenders the card deck or he would be forced to get himself killed, which made Touta feel defensive and demanded to know what Yami-Ki's problem is.

"What the heck is your problem?"

"Give me the card deck."

"What for?"

"It doesn't suit you…or better yet…you're not meant to wield it."

"Why?"

"You're better off not knowing it. Unless…you've become…"

"You're not making sense here."

"…"

As the two armored person stared at each other, they did not notice that Yukihime is passing by, and she was alerted by the sound of explosion and upon arriving she saw the two armored person, and while intrigued, she noticed that the other person in armor has the same height as Touta, and noticed that the two persons are near the cemetery where Touta's parents are buried.

There Yukihime began to deduce that the person in armor, who is shorter than the other armored person is Touta, and she wondered what Touta is doing and where he got the armor.

"That must be Touta…but…where did he get that armor…? And who's the other guy…?"

Suddenly, the bio-mechanical-looking dragon appeared, and it seemed to be heading towards where the armored Touta and Ren are standing, and as Yami-Ki is poised to face it, he realized that the dragon is closing in, and thus he has no time to draw out the cards he has, and he tells Touta to start running if he doesn't want to get killed by the dragon.

Touta asked him if he knows anything about that dragon, and all Yami-Ki said that he has been hunting that dragon, and it is immensely strong, and that the dragon gets powered up by eating people, and said that Touta is among the dragon's meal target.

"What?"

"You heard me! That dragon wants you for lunch!"

"Seriously?"

"You want to die?"

"No way!"

"Then start running!"

"Geez!"

"Keep running for you'll become chow!"

"This isn't what I'm trained for!"

As Yami-Ki ran off, Touta followed, as the dragon swoops down and roared, where it began to spit out fireballs, hitting the ground, but the two armored persons managed to dodge them yet they are still in danger as the dragon keeps on chasing them.

Yukihime wondered where the dragon came from, but then she heard the two armored person bickering loudly, and upon hearing them, she stared in shock as she recognized Touta's voice, and there the dragon gets closer, and fired a strong fireball, hitting the ground, which is engulfed in flames, and the impact sends both the armored Ren and Touta getting thrown off the ground.

Both screamed as they felt the impact of the dragon's assault.

"WHOA!"

"HEY!"

"AAARRRGGGHHH!"

"KKKYYAAA!"

"DAMN IT!"

"SO HOT!"

"GOT TO…!"

"GEEZ!"

-x-

Yukihime covered herself with her arms while making a protective barrier as the impact of the blast sent debris flying, and as the dust settles, she saw the two person in armor lying on the ground, dazed, as the blast appeared to stun them, and as the dragon is closing in on its target, the armored Touta slowly got up, and saw that the dragon is just moments away from getting close, and the 14-year old boy in strange armor reacted fast.

He took out a card from the card deck that is attached onto the buckle of the metallic belt and he checked it, which was the SEAL card and he displayed it in front of the dragon, which it glowed and the dragon attempts to defy it, but the barrier formed kept pushing the creature back, and the dragon tried to persist but it could not get through.

This forced the dragon to retreat and disappeared, just as Touta exhaustedly got up before seeing the other armored individual getting up, before he removed his card deck and his armor disappeared, and he advises Touta to start leaving this place if he doesn't want to get eaten by the dragon, stating that the dragon is his target and will not let anyone get in his way.

Touta is baffled and asked what is the deal with the dragon and why is it targeting him, but Ren said he is better off not knowing anything, for the sake of keeping him safe, but advised Touta not to dwell on it as if he does, he would become his target, which only made Touta more curious.

"Just forget it."

"Eh?"

"You're better off knowing it."

"Why not?"

"If you want to live, forget everything that has happened."

"What?"

"Unless you want to die."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ren then leaves the scene as Touta removes the card deck from the belt and his armor disappeared, and he stared at the SEAL card and wondered what is going on, as this is the second time that the dragon appeared and attempted to target him, and he is really baffled as to why Ren refused to tell him anything and now the 14-year old boy became determined to find out what the answer lie within.

* * *

_**Alive A Life**_ by Rica Matsumoto

_Asayake ni tsutsumarete_

_Hashiri dashita yukubeki michi wo_  
_Jounetsu no BEKUTOORU ga_  
_boku no mune wo tsuranuiteyuku_

_Donna kiken ni kizutsuku koto ga ate mo!_

_Yume yo odore_  
_Kono hoshi no moto de_  
_Nikushimi wo utsushidasu_  
_Kagami nante kowasuhodo!_

_Yume ni mukae_  
_Mada bukiyoudemo_  
_Ikiteiru hageshisa wo_  
_Karadajuu de tashikametai!_

* * *

_**Ch. 3: Fumetsu no tanjō**_

As Touta looked around, he is surprised to see that most of the cemetery area is in ruin, as the land area is smoking, not doubt due to the attack from the dragon, and he checked his parents' graves, and he is relieved that they weren't decimated as its tombstones and all remained intact, and he wondered if this is a coincidence or if the dragon knew where his location is.

By then Yukihime came and checked on Touta, seeing that he is mostly unharmed and asked who was that other guy a while ago and how did he get that armor, and Touta is unsure how to explain, assuming that she did not see the dragon, but she said she saw what the dragon did and asked how he managed to drive it away, and there he told her all he knows, and while still unsure what to make all of this, she advises Touta that they need to get going and head home.

Touta nodded and said he has no complaints as he went home with Yukihime and the two person leave the cemetery, but as Touta went ahead, she secretly uses her magic to repair the damage within the cemetery and it is in good condition once more.

-x-

A few days later, Touta attempted to try besting Yukihime again, and along with his three classmates, they try to beat her again, only this time they got beaten up and they got dejected, and later, at the teachers' lounge, fellow teacher Tachibana gently urged her to let Touta head for the capital, saying this is a good way for him to experience and explore rather than CAGING him in this village.

Yukihime said she is unsure, but she is told the benefits of it all which made her think about it whether to heed the advice or not, seeing that Tachibana does have certain points and made her wonder if she should heed the advice or not.

"Trust me, Yukihime-san."

"…"

"It would benefit the kids and you…"

"I don't know."

"Think about it. It will make things easier for all…"

"I suppose…"

"Trust me."

"…"

Somewhere within the campus, Touta and his friends are having a meeting, and they are making plans on how to beat her in order to get her approval to let them leave the village and go to the capital, which the three classmates told Touta if he has come up with a way to outwit Yukihime, which he admits that he hasn't come up with a plan yet, but promise that he will beat her fair and square.

"I'll definitely beat her!"

"Really?"

"Think you can pull it off?"

"As in surely?"

"Yeah! I'm sure!"

"Okay!"

"We'll root for you!"

"Go beat her!"

After that, the three classmates went ahead as they head back to their classroom, while Touta sat on the bench, thinking of a way to beat her as he had difficulty in getting past her defenses, but then his trail of thoughts was interrupted when the bio-mechanical-looking dragon appeared, and Touta stared wide-eyed seeing that the creature somewhat found its way here and he became worried.

Given that he is currently at school, he feared that the massive creature might attack other students here and he dared the dragon to chase him in a bid to lead it away from the campus so that no one else would be dragged in.

That way the potential casualties would be minimized.

"Hey, ugly!"

"**ROAR**!"

"Over here!"

"**ROAR!**"

"You want me?"

"**ROAR**!"

"Come and get me!"

"**ROAR!**"

-x-

Meanwhile, Touta's classmates were walking within the school grounds when Tachibana approached them and INNOCENTLY gave them a suggestion on how to best Yukihime, which the three students were all-ears, and they asked him if he is serious about it.

Tachibana smiled and said he just wanted to help his students but requested that they keep this meeting a secret, which the three students promised, saying that they would be grateful if this would work, which the teacher smiled and promised that they will eventually win over Yukihime and they would get their chance to visit the capital once they defeated her.

"Really, sir?"

"Will this work?"

"As in…?"

"Yes, it will work. I promise."

"Thanks!"

"Thanks!"

"Thanks!"

"Good luck, boys…"

-x-

Meanwhile, the scene shifts at the school gate of the campus, where Touta is leading the dragon away, as it spits out fireballs in an attempt to incinerate its target to make it easy to consume the boy, and Touta is not having a good time as he went a lot of effort to prevent the dragon from causing damage to the school, and once he finds an open spot, he is ready to face it, but then he recalled the SEAL card that he has, and he took it out and showed it to the creature.

The SEAL card glowed brightly and the dragon attempts to defy it, but the barrier formed kept pushing the creature back, and the dragon tried to persist but it could not get through.

This forced the dragon to retreat and disappeared, just as Touta exhaustedly got up before seeing the other people staring at the and approached him, asking what is he doing, pointing the card at an empty space. This made Touta looked perplexed and asked if they saw the dragon, which the several passerby said that they did not see anything other than Touta himself.

"Huh?"

"Dragon?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't see anything."

"I think you're imagining things."

"You better get back to school."

"You're becoming a delinquent."

"You spoiled brat."

Touta was bothered by this, and wondered if he is the only one who can see the dragon, and decided to leave it at that and went back inside the campus to check on his friends to see if they are okay, hoping that they weren't harmed by the dragon that attacked him a while ago.

He is worried as he has no idea when the dragon might strike next, and he felt that he has to petition Yukihime that they should leave the village out of concern that the dragon might drag more people if he were to remain here, and hoped that she would agree to his suggestion to avoid unwanted deaths and injuries.

-x-

Minutes later, Touta's three classmates approached Yukihime and offered her a gift, which is a bracelet and she somewhat accepted, unaware that it was a trap as the three boys were tricked into giving the bracelet to her and as she wore it, she is entrapped in a black-colored magic, and the three believe that they won, and Tachibana appeared and CONGRATULATED them, then he beat the boys brutally, and there Yukihime realized that Tachibana is an assassin.

"Tachibana…then you…"

"That's right."

"…"

"It took me six months…but it's all worth it."

"You…"

"Now time to kill you and get that reward."

"Leave the kids alone!"

"Don't worry. I'll kill them after you…"

As Yukihime is helpless, Tachibana is about to attack her when Touta showed up and uses a sword to deflect the blow, and there Touta angrily demanded to know why Tachibana attacked the three boys, which Tachibana said tricking the three boys is so easy, and there he moved at a fast speed and slices off Touta's left arm, causing him to scream.

Tachibana reveled at hearing the boy's scream of agony and is about to finish him off when Yukihime came to the boy's aid, and managed to hold him off, but Tachibana gained the upper hand and slices her to pieces, and proceeds to head towards the three unconscious boys, intending to kill them off.

Yukihime urged Touta to fight back, revealing to him his true circumstances and told him to willingly take a sample of her blood in order to become an immortal, which he did so upon seeing Tachibana about to kill the three boys. There he slowly recovered from his wounds and engaged Tachibana in a sword fight that went to a standstill.

Suddenly, the dragon appeared again and spits out a fireball, hitting Tachibana squarely, and he screamed in pain upon being hit, and is incinerate in less than a minute, and Touta stared in dismay seeing that the dragon is very persistent, and took out the SEAL card to drive it away, but the dragon spits out another fireball and struck the ground, sending Touta to the ground, and loses his hold on the SEAL card, which the creature spits another fireball and struck the card, burning it to a crisp.

As the dragon is heading towards its prey, Touta thought fast, and took out his card deck and grabbed a card, which turns out to be the CONTRACT card, and not sure what it would do, he aimed it at front of the oncoming creature, and the card glowed, just as the dragon went ahead, which Yukihime stared wide-eyed, fearing that Touta would be consumed.

As light shone brightly, it showed that Touta stood up, as the dragon circled around the boy, where he is taken aback at facing the dragon at close range. The dragon roared as if it is facing the boy, then it circled around him as Touta is slowly encased in a black armor, and then the scene shows that the card deck, that has been attached on the metallic belt, appeared to show something, as a logo-like mark appeared to be embalmed onto the card deck, resembling the face of the dragon.

The card reader-gauntlet on his left forearm changed shape, which now resembled the head of the dragon. Likewise, the forehead of his armored helmet also has a marking for a dragon's head formed, and lastly, his body armor changed color, which is red, while his outer armor is colored silver.

Touta then stared at the card he held a while ago, which somewhat changed. Moments ago it was the CONTRACT card, and now it became another, which says DRAGREDDER, where the dragon's picture is shown, which resembled a tarot card.

The light faded, and he slowly fell to the ground due to exhaustion, his armor disappeared, and a minute later, Touta wakes up, lying on Yukihime's lap, which she is back in ONE PIECE, and thaere she told him that Tachibana is killed by the dragon, and that Touta's three classmates will be okay, though she tells him she is amazed that he managed to take down the dragon, and there she told Touta what he has become.

He nodded and said that he is fine with it and all that matters is that Yukihime and his classmates are okay, but then she tells him they need to leave the village due to the danger after Tachibana is killed, which Touta nodded.

"Looks like you got your wish. We need to leave the village."

"Yeah."

"Since assassins would come here."

"Yeah."

"And that dragon might try again."

"No worries. I think I got him. Here…I think…"

"Huh? How did you…?"

"Heh…"

Not far, Ren Akihiro watches on, having witnessed everything and now he is eyeing Touta, having seen him unintentionally forming a contract with the dragon, and now set his sights on the boy, as he leaves the scene and boarded his motorcycle and drives away.

_**To Be Continued... **_

* * *

Hope you liked this chapter, as it mirrors the manga and anime, where Touta becomes an immortal in order to save his friends…but diverges slightly as the dragon shows up and killed Tachibana before attempting to consume Touta…

Now Touta somewhat CAPTURED the dragon and turning it into a Pactio-like tarot card.

Ren Akihiro shows up and saw everything, and now he is setting his sight on the boy, and a fight won't be far…

* * *

_**Preview:**_

The next chapter will reveal on what will happen…as Touta encountered another monster before Ren picks a fight with him…

All of this happens prior to meeting with Konomaru…

See you in 6-8 weeks (probably around late May or early June)…

Reviews are welcomed, but needed…


	4. Clash! Encounter With An Immortal

**The 13 Immortals**

* * *

_**Disclaimer:**_  
_**UQ Holder!**_ is owned by _**Ken Akamatsu **_and_** J. C. Staff**_

* * *

Many thanks to those who read and reviewed this fic. I really appreciated it and this gave me inspiration to work on the next chapter and here the story advances forward as Touta's life would change from hereon, which you'll find out why…

Well then, read on and enjoy!

* * *

The scene shifts at a bridge, where it leads to the capital, where Touta and Yukihime are walking, as they are set to rendezvous with someone in order to take them to a place where they would be safe, as it is obvious now that their location has been found thanks to Tachibana, and there she tells Touta that his life will change now that he can no longer live a normal life like he used to.

Touta said that he doesn't mind it as he would like to meet more people and travel to many places he never seen before, and she remarked how Touta is taking things easy after everything that has happened recently.

"Hmm…you sure are taking it in stride, Touta."

"Huh?"

"Even after what happened earlier…you are taking it easy."

"Yeah."

"You still think you can enjoy life from this point on?"

"Sure, I can."

"You sure are in high spirits…"

"Heh-heh…"

Not far, someone is watching them from a distance, which turns out to be Ren Akihiro. Ren is eyeing Touta, as he seemed to be targeting him for a reason, and as he watches them, a bat-like creature appeared and hover above him, looking ready to strike, but Ren tells the creature to be patient as they will strike once the opportunity presented itself.

"Not yet."

"**Skree…**"

"When the time is right…then we will go all-out."

"**Skree…**"

"For now we wait."

"**Skree…**"

"Now stay hidden."

"**Skree…**"

* * *

_**Alive A Life**_ by Rica Matsumoto

_Asayake ni tsutsumarete_

_Hashiri dashita yukubeki michi wo_  
_Jounetsu no BEKUTOORU ga_  
_boku no mune wo tsuranuiteyuku_

_Donna kiken ni kizutsuku koto ga ate mo!_

_Yume yo odore_  
_Kono hoshi no moto de_  
_Nikushimi wo utsushidasu_  
_Kagami nante kowasuhodo!_

_Yume ni mukae_  
_Mada bukiyoudemo_  
_Ikiteiru hageshisa wo_  
_Karadajuu de tashikametai!_

* * *

_**Ch. 4: Shōtotsu: Fumetsu no hito to no deai**_

Within minutes, Touta and Yukihime arrived at a resort park, which looked like a popular destination for tourists, as the ambience is neat, but Yukihime noted that the place looked deserted, and not a single person is around, though she seemed to not mind it, while Touta tells Yukihime that he is going to take a stroll.

She tells him not to venture out too far, which he nodded and said he won't go too far and not stay too long, reasoning that it is part of his learning curve to make explorations and the like.

"Are you sure, Touta?"

"Yeah!"

"Still…"

"I'll be careful! You go enjoy yourself, Yukihime!"

"Come on, Touta…our rendezvous will be arriving in 30 minutes…"

"That's enough time for me! See you later!"

"Touta…geez, that boy is full of energy…"

"…"

As Touta went off to venture around the area, Yukihime went to survey the resort as she finds it odd and strange that not a single person is present here, yet she chose to be careful sensing that another assassin could be lurking around and make an attempt on her life.

-x-

Minutes later, Touta is walking around, admiring the scenery as he can see the city from afar, yet he noticed that not a single person is in sight, and wondered if there are no tourists here or if he and Yukihime arrived too early.

Suddenly, Touta clutched his forehead as he felt it vibrate while hearing what appeared to be a ringing sound, which came from somewhere. Suddenly a foreign man appeared, dressed in a denim pants, shirt and a trench coat. He appeared to have a neutral aura yet he looked like someone who can intimidate others.

The man glanced at Touta from head to toe, and he appeared dismayed, if not disappointed, yet he seemed to be fine with it and tells the younger boy that he is now part of a looming battle, which baffled Touta, as the man gave the boy his designated name.

"So then…you ended up taking that deck…"

"Huh? What the…? How did you…?"

"A mere boy…whatever. You managed to make a contract with that dragon…"

"How did you know…?"

"Then you have a name now. Ryuki."

"Ryuki…?"

"Let me tell you this. In the end…there can only be ONE immortal. You must defeat them all. Fight until you are the remaining one alive."

"What? What do you mean by that? Who are you?"

Touta is baffled, but then a thought hit him as he took out the card deck as he felt that this mysterious man might know something, but as soon as he turn around, the man abruptly disappeared from sight and Touta wondered what was that about and wondered if he is seeing things, but opted to forget about what just happened and went on his way.

As Touta walked around he came across an open-air onsen where someone is bathing, and there Touta blinked his eyes when he saw the person stood up from the onsen, appearing to be a boy due to his body resembling one, but is somewhat ambiguous as the person is long-haired and to Touta's surprise the person's crotch resembles that of a girl.

The person stared at Touta and instinctively grabbed a towel to cover his/her body, while Touta clutched his forehead as the RINGING SOUND is heard, in which it send signals that something is approaching and this made Touta confused.

Before Touta could get his bearing back, the person charges forward, armed with a sword and attempted to subdue Touta, but Touta managed to evade the attacks and said he is not here to fight, and the words prompted the other person to stop, seeing that Touta is unarmed and not displaying anything threatening, and there Touta and the person talked where the misunderstanding is cleared up.

"I see…"

"Yeah. I came here by accident."

"And I thought you were a pervert."

"Ah, no. that's not…"

"It's okay."

"Oh yeah…my name is Touta Konoe."

"Mine is Konomaru. Please to meet you."

"Same here."

After that, the person is identified as Konomaru Tokisaka, and said he is on a mission of sorts, and the two got acquainted and talked some more as they head to the ground floor where Yukihime is waiting and upon hearing Touta calling her name, Konomaru stared in surprise and realized something, where he drew his sword and immediately went after her.

However Yukihime seemed to be a step ahead and anticipated the attack and did a KILLING BLOW, which fatally injured Konomaru, and Touta asked why she had to kill Konomaru, but Yukihime assured that Konomaru will be okay.

"Huh?"

"This person will be okay."

"How so?"

"He's just like you."

"What?"

"Take a look."

"What the…?"

"…"

Touta was baffled until he saw Konomaru's wounds slowly healing and there Yukihime revealed that Konomaru is an immortal. This made Touta surprised and after several minutes Konomaru is awakened and soon the reason is revealed and there Yukihime offered Konomaru a place to stay and all is well, and Touta decided to go stroll around.

Yukihime told Touta not to go too far as their rendezvous will arrive in 30 minutes, which he assured that he will be back on time.

"Are you sure, Touta?"

"Yeah!"

"Still…"

"I'll be careful! You go enjoy yourself, Yukihime!"

"Come on, Touta…our rendezvous will be arriving in 30 minutes…"

"That's enough time for me! See you later!"

"Touta…geez, that boy is full of energy…"

"…"

After that, Yukihime led Konomaru towards the meeting place as she will assess on what to do, while Touta went to explore the resort area, and while looking around, Ren Akihiro showed up and confronted the younger boy, asking him if he really formed a CONTRACT with the dragon, which made Touta feel a bit defensive.

He knows that only Yukihime witnessed it all and wondered how Ren know about it and asked what is his deal with this, which Ren just stared at him and demanded that Touta surrender his card deck, which further made Touta feel uneasy, until the RINGING SOUND played on his head, and Touta wondered why this is happening.

Ren said that it happens when he is in a presence of another immortal, and made it clear that immortals are destined to battle to the death. He tells Touta that if he surrender his card deck he will escape that fate with no complications.

Touta did not seem to like the idea and asked why should they fight when they can work together, but Ren coldly states that immortals cannot co-exist.

"Dream on, you brat."

"What?"

"Immortals are destined to fight."

"You're wrong…"

"Immortals cannot co-exist."

"They can."

"Not in our case."

"Eh?"

Ren then gave Touta an ultimatum and said that if the boy refuses then he will be taken down the hard way. Ren took out his card deck and held it in a frontal display, where the metallic belt appeared and fasten around his waist, which surprised Touta, as he had no idea that Ren has a similar deck and its functions are the same as his.

As Touta braces himself, another magical-type creature appeared, and it resembled a large web-spinning spider, its upper half body resembled that of a human's upper torso, and it shoots sharp-edged projectile, which struck Ren on his chest, but he managed to evade it and there Touta saw that Ren's wounds slowly healed, and made the younger boy realized that Ren is indeed an immortal.

Ren then slinks the card deck onto the belt and his armor enveloped him, and Touta realized that Ren is the armored person he encountered at the cemetery several days ago, and there the armored Ren tells Touta that once he deals with the monster, he is next, and Touta protested on why Ren insists on fighting him since he did not do anything to him.

But the armored Ren said that this is how immortals meet their fates and cannot be changed, no matter how hard they try, as they cannot simply co-exist no matter what the circumstances are.

"I already told you, you brat. That's it is."

"What?"

"Immortals are destined to fight. You cannot sugarcoat it."

"You're wrong…"

"Immortals cannot co-exist. They will fight to the death. Until only one is left."

"Are you serious?"

"I am."

"Damn…"

The armored Ren then went towards the giant spider-like monster and evaded the needles being fired, and managed to get behind the monster and straddled onto it, grabbed it by its neck and the spider-monster tried to shake it, and prompted it to go to a high-rise area of the resort as the armored Ren attempts to strangle it, leading to the top of a tower, where the monster tried to shake Ren off.

Touta watches on as he is confused as to why Ren wanted a piece of him since this is the first time since the cemetery incident that he encountered Ren personally, but the first to meet him in his civilian guise. He then wondered if Ren is another assassin who is after Yukihime or not.

"What if he is…?"

-x-

Not far, Yukihime and Konomaru are waiting for someone to arrive, but then they sensed a magical aura emanating and deduced its source, coming from the resort they just left, and there Konomaru commented that the place is where Touta is currently at, and Yukihime realized that Touta might be in trouble and decided to go and check on him.

Konomaru offered to come along and help, but she tells him to stay here and wait, saying that it won't take long and assured that she will handle everything from hereon.

"I'll be fine. You stay here and wait."

"Are you sure? All by yourself?"

"Yes."

"But…"

"Do not worry. I'll be back…and will bring Touta with me."

"I…see…"

"See you later."

"…"

Yukihime then ran off as she raced towards the resort area, worried that Touta might be in trouble, having no idea what situation the younger boy got himself embroiled in.

_**To Be Continued... **_

* * *

Hope you liked this chapter, as it mirrors the manga and anime, where Touta encountered Konomaru, though the in-fighting over a misunderstanding is left out, since this is a semi-AU, but nevertheless retained some elements, such as Konomaru attempting on Yukihime's life…

A character is introduced where he tells Touta about the NEED to battle other immortals until only one is left alive, which bothers him to a degree…

Ren Akihiro shows up and challenges Touta, telling him the fate among immortals, but then deals with an unexpected interference…

* * *

_**Preview:**_

The next chapter shows whether Touta would join the battle or not, and whether he could persuade Ren to form an alliance with him or take him out…

See you in 6-8 weeks (probably around late June or early July)…

Reviews are welcomed, but needed…


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